MAKKAH: Ramadan is a month of hospitality, brotherhood, chivalry and social solidarity — qualities that are expressed each year during the holy month, especially in the Grand Mosque where millions of Muslims come to perform Umrah.
The residents of this holy city compete against each other to do good during Ramadan in the hope of attracting Allah’s reward, forgiveness and blessings. They distribute, free of charge, iftar meals and water bottles among pilgrims and visitors along streets, at traffic signals and road junctions. If you are unable to reach the Grand Mosque to break your fast there at sunset, do not worry, you will be given dates and water wherever you may be in Makkah.
Saleh Abdullah, a Yemeni national who lives in Jeddah, recalls that he was on his way to the Grand Mosque with his wife to perform Umrah at noon one day when his sister called requesting them to take her with them. “As a result we were delayed and were definitely not going to make it for iftar at the Grand Mosque. I was worried but remained composed so as not to cause any worry to my wife and sister. The Maghreb prayer call caught us at the first traffic light on Sitteen Street, which leads to the Grand Mosque,” said Abdullah.
“All shops and restaurants were closed. All of a sudden someone threw a handful of dates and a bottle of water through the car window. Before I could thank him, he did the same for my wife and sister and disappeared. He was definitely not alone,” he added.
“When I looked out of the window, I could see many young and old men distributing dates and water at this main thoroughfare between Jeddah and Makkah.”
Saleh was very impressed by what these people were doing and decided to do the same to gain reward from Allah. “These people do not ask for money but only that people pray for them. I am determined to distribute dates and water to people who are unable to have their iftar at home or in the mosque,” he said.
Mazen Amin, who lives in Makkah, said that he listens to music and plays Baloot (a Middle Eastern card game similar to the French card game called belote) all year around, but when Ramadan comes, his life changes. “I stop all this and begin listening to the Qur’an. I take this month very seriously and try to perform good deeds hoping to be close to Allah,” he said.
Many people become religiously adherent during Ramadan in the hope of gaining reward from Allah. They refrain from committing sins and dedicate themselves to worship and prayer.
Kahled Ali, a Saudi from Makkah, said he has not had iftar at home for more than 10 years, as he distributes food and water to people in Ramadan. “I always try to provide a different meal every day. No matter how little I give, that will be enough to help people break their fasts,” he said.
It is normal to see people in Makkah handing out dates, water, milk, sambousas, bread and coffee just before iftar in the Grand Mosque and along the roads leading to it. Other people station themselves inside the Grand Mosque and distribute tissue paper to pilgrims to dry themselves and plastic bags to place their shoes and slippers in.
Sheikh Muhammad Al-Sahli, an imam of a mosque in Makkah, said showing such courtesy is an Islamic practice that consolidates love and affection among Muslims, guaranteeing reward from Allah.
He recalled the Prophet’s (peace be upon him) Hadith to the effect that a person who provides a fasting person with iftar will have the same reward as that of the fasting person. The Prophet also asked Muslims to insinuate love among themselves. “You cannot enter Jannah (paradise) until you are true believers. You cannot be true believers until you love each other.”
